Army of One

18

-Later that same evening-

The couple went on a walk around Emma's neighborhood. She originally wanted to go jogging and Ethan would have been on board with that had it not been for the two glasses of scotch he'd shared with her father. He felt a bit tipsy but readily agreed to go so he could walk it off.

Hand in hand they took a leisurely stroll, covering several blocks before heading towards the Mall of San Fran, discussing their plans for the upcoming weekend, or rather Sunday. After Sophia told friends and family members that Emma was home for a visit, she planned an informal picnic so everyone would have an opportunity to see her. Everything had been arranged for this Saturday so all Emma had to do was be there.

"I'm feeling kind of hungry." He looked at her curiously.

"You are?" Huh! Okay, granted dinner was three hours ago but Emma rarely ate much beyond breakfast, lunch and dinner. But hey, who was he to question her on it? If his girl was hungry, then he'd feed her.

"Oh-oh-oh! She jumped up and down excitedly while pointing at a delicatessen. "That place makes the most amazing wraps."

"Is that what you want, babe?" She nodded excitedly as he led her to sit on a nearby bench. "Alright. Just tell me what you want and I'll get it."

"You sure? I can go with you."

"Nah, you just do what you do best."

"And what exactly is that?"

Giving her a quick peck on the cheek after she folded her arms defensively, he told her, "Sit here and look pretty 'til I come back." She 'hmmph'ed' but it was accompanied by an adorable blush. "What kind of wrap do you want?"

"Hmmm, not sure, maybe... oh, I know what I want. Roast beef and Swiss with horseradish sauce. Aaand," she thought hard while looking off into space. "Have them put some of those banana peppers on it and onions too."

Double huh! Not only did it sound absolutely disgusting but it seemed an awful lot for her to digest. Oh well, if it went straight to her luscious ass, she wouldn't hear him complain. A stomach full of 'junk' for her would turn into a handful of 'trunk' for him.

"What?" she asked when he just stared at her.

"Nothing, just... never mind." He shook his head, thinking maybe she was just joking but apparently not. "Be right back." Giving her another quick kiss, he headed inside the eatery.

Ethan waited patiently in line and suffered a few looks from people next to him while the boy behind the counter fixed his order. He just shrugged and explained it wasn't for him. Whatever made his girl happy is exactly what she'd get.

He paid for the food, turned to walk away and placed a hand on the door but froze when he saw Emma wasn't sitting by herself anymore. What the FUCK?! It wasn't just any random guy that decided to sit there, it was that shit stain with his artsy-fartsy penciled hearts... Gavin!

"Excuse me," came a small voice from out of nowhere.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry." Ethan backed away and let a woman and her daughter leave. He stepped aside and just stood there, staring out the window at his girl talking with her former boyfriend, jealousy seeping from every pore in his body.

He trusted Emma with his whole heart, hell, his life. But it didn't prevent him from wanting to rip the douche bag's head off for daring to speak to her. Especially after what the cheating bastard did to her. No, he would put a tight rein on his temper and just watch. His girl could take care of matters all on her own and if not? Then he most assuredly would.